In psych 101 every college student learns (if awake) that one of the least reliable sources for any event is an eye witness. When witnesses are questioned after viewing a robbery, often they present many different observations than their fellow witnesses. The gunman had red hair, the gunman was blonde, the gunman had a scar on his left cheek, the gunman had a thick beard—he wore a mask…If four people view the same event, four very different things will be seen.
When Hilary went to Newbold College in the fall of 2007 she saw a very different place than her sister, Deirdre. Hilary loved the place so much she returned this summer to stay, while Deirdre hoped to stay a poor student long enough to avoid another trip to Blighty.
Hilary’s decision to leave the land of hope and freedom and return to the imperial power of England was solely decided based on her desire to be with her fiancé and true love, Daniel Thompson. After some five months in the States, the Englishman determined he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his American lady. At Bodega Bay the two sat in between some dunes, safe from the harsh May breeze, enjoying some cucumber sandwiches and alcohol free wine. Hilary horrified with her recent academic performance, could not even calm her nerves with the seaside air and warm sand. Daniel gave her some roses which aided little in calming her nerves. After the meal, the two lazed on their blanket until Daniel was overcome with a desire to share some poetry with Hilary.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Methods of Memory
Only mildly surprised at this gesture, Daniel being such a natural romantic, Hilary began to sense the poem’s last line would be in the form of a question. Sitting face to face, Daniel reading the words and Hilary listening intently with both her hands on his knees, Daniel’s voice began to quiver a little and Hilary wrapped her arms around his chest. The poem did indeed finish in a question and Hilary answered in the positive. The newly affianced couple held each other and watched the sunset kiss the horizon through their dewy eyes. Hilary occasionally, sniffling, looked down at her ring made out of bricklayer’s string and smiled back at her fiancé with love and gratitude for being willing to share his life with her. 
The diamond ring came a few weeks later, but not until Hilary was sure everyone saw her braided ring with a knot for a rock. Her new ring was just as special and countless times more durable.
Daniel stayed in America until Hilary, against all odds, marched at graduation in June. Her family came for the graduation celebration. Their tireless efforts to make the day memorable were deeply appreciated by the new graduate. While giving a brief thank you to the attendees of her graduation/engagement party, Hilary was moved to tears and wrapped up her speech prematurely to hide the emotions of genuine appreciation for all the faces staring at her. Each person in the room had contributed to her new success. Whether it was with money or just the kindness of a few home cooked meals, they had all been unconditionally generous with their warmth, making her feel at home in Napa for the past three years.
There was so much craziness over the weekend that she had only gotten to look at her parents. Conversation was not a luxury allowed during a celebratory weekend. A few hours later that evening she bid them farewell, sadly, not to say hello to them again until Christmas.
The house felt empty with only Deirdre, Daniel, Yacoub and herself to fill the Crestmont Mansion after all the comings and goings over
the past three days. The discomfort of loss and its imminence was palpable. Hilary and Daniel stayed up as long as they could with the knowledge that they would be saying farewell the following day at two pm.
The next morning Hilary had a summer school class which Daniel attended with her. After the four hours of Adventist Heritage concluded they rushed to San Francisco International and parted at the security check. The last few terrible moments of parting filled Hilary with a sadness she had never felt before. She did not even try to cheer herself up with their soon coming reunion; she just cued up an old sappy mix CD and let herself bathe in the tragedy of having to drive back alone and about the next interminable three and a half weeks.
Thankfully, Deirdre remained in Angwin to keep her sister’s heart merry. Although they had intended to spend their last
week together watching Supernatural and B Sci-Fi, they ended up doing very little of either. Packing, studying, eating and friends seemed to crowd out any frivolity they had hoped for. Before they knew it Hilary’s summer school course had ended and she was on a plane to DC for ten days of class on the East Coast.
Deirdre’s one semester at PUC was not enough to endear the place to her for another three years. Hilary, however, was pretty sure after three years she could call it home. She knew all along that the only time she would comfortably afford to live in such luxury was while being a student and had appreciated every moment of it. Hilary wished her sister had wanted to stay just as badly, if only for the excuse to visit.
Alternate perceptions of the same experience had struck again, and would this time find Deirdre and Hilary on opposite sides of the West. Hilary in England and Deirdre in the North West of the United States of America.
The diamond ring came a few weeks later, but not until Hilary was sure everyone saw her braided ring with a knot for a rock. Her new ring was just as special and countless times more durable.
Daniel stayed in America until Hilary, against all odds, marched at graduation in June. Her family came for the graduation celebration. Their tireless efforts to make the day memorable were deeply appreciated by the new graduate. While giving a brief thank you to the attendees of her graduation/engagement party, Hilary was moved to tears and wrapped up her speech prematurely to hide the emotions of genuine appreciation for all the faces staring at her. Each person in the room had contributed to her new success. Whether it was with money or just the kindness of a few home cooked meals, they had all been unconditionally generous with their warmth, making her feel at home in Napa for the past three years.
There was so much craziness over the weekend that she had only gotten to look at her parents. Conversation was not a luxury allowed during a celebratory weekend. A few hours later that evening she bid them farewell, sadly, not to say hello to them again until Christmas.
The house felt empty with only Deirdre, Daniel, Yacoub and herself to fill the Crestmont Mansion after all the comings and goings over
the past three days. The discomfort of loss and its imminence was palpable. Hilary and Daniel stayed up as long as they could with the knowledge that they would be saying farewell the following day at two pm.
The next morning Hilary had a summer school class which Daniel attended with her. After the four hours of Adventist Heritage concluded they rushed to San Francisco International and parted at the security check. The last few terrible moments of parting filled Hilary with a sadness she had never felt before. She did not even try to cheer herself up with their soon coming reunion; she just cued up an old sappy mix CD and let herself bathe in the tragedy of having to drive back alone and about the next interminable three and a half weeks.
Thankfully, Deirdre remained in Angwin to keep her sister’s heart merry. Although they had intended to spend their last
week together watching Supernatural and B Sci-Fi, they ended up doing very little of either. Packing, studying, eating and friends seemed to crowd out any frivolity they had hoped for. Before they knew it Hilary’s summer school course had ended and she was on a plane to DC for ten days of class on the East Coast.
Deirdre’s one semester at PUC was not enough to endear the place to her for another three years. Hilary, however, was pretty sure after three years she could call it home. She knew all along that the only time she would comfortably afford to live in such luxury was while being a student and had appreciated every moment of it. Hilary wished her sister had wanted to stay just as badly, if only for the excuse to visit.
Alternate perceptions of the same experience had struck again, and would this time find Deirdre and Hilary on opposite sides of the West. Hilary in England and Deirdre in the North West of the United States of America.
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